7 Foods and Beverages That Harm Your Dental Health

The foods we consume affect our teeth. Some improve our dental health, while others harm our teeth and gums. As a proactive measure, you can learn about the various food and beverage items that could lead to dental problems. Here is an overview of seven foods that damage our dental health.

1. Sugary Foods and Drinks

One of the most significant offenders in dental health is sugary foods and drinks. These substances flood your teeth with sticky sugars that attach to your enamel. Once they settle in, they generate harmful acids that gradually degrade your enamel and damage your teeth.

If you crave sugar, do not choose low-sugar alternatives to these foods. Even zero-sugar and low-sugar alternatives are unsuitable as they have the same effect. Instead, opt for sweet fruits rather than these artificial diets. If you want conventional confectionery, switch to chocolate which is much easier to wash away.

2. Dried Fruit

Dried fruits are deceptive in their characteristics since you would assume that because they are fruits, they are naturally healthy. However, dried fruits have less water content than other fruits. Less water content means that these fruits do not have any buffer to minimize the influence of sugar in your mouth.

This aspect, coupled with additional stickiness, can harm your teeth similarly to other sugary foods. Brush and floss after you eat dried fruits to reduce their adverse effects on your teeth.

3. Carbonated Beverages

Carbonated beverages increase plaque acid production in your mouth, which can accelerate the decay of your teeth. Also, dark carbonated drinks stain and discolor your teeth. You will find it challenging to deal with the effect of carbonated drinks on your dental health.

The effects of extravagant consumption of carbonated drinks resemble similar damage levels caused by narcotics like methamphetamine. Also, immediately brushing after you consume soda hastens decay rather than slowing it. Thus, you must regulate your consumption of soda.

4. Bread and Potato Chips

Bread is easily malleable, which primes it to stick between teeth and molars when you chew it. The same issue affects potato chips. The particles break down as you chew on these foods and settle between teeth or deep inside the root.

These particles can linger for a while, which can encourage decay that gradually works its way upwards. Brush your mouth after you consume these foods to remove the stuck particles.

5. Citrus

Citrus fruits have contradictory effects on your dental health. These fruits offer Vitamin C, essential for strong and healthy teeth. However, they possess high acidic content that upsets the pH level inside your mouth. Plus, the acidic content can irritate mouth sores. Mix citrus fruits with other meals and rinse your mouth after you consume them.

6. Alcohol

Alcohol can dry your mouth and reduce saliva content. Saliva is integral to your oral health ecosystem as it helps keep teeth clean, especially food substances that stick to your mouth. Also, saliva helps repair small or early decay and gum disease. Follow up any amounts of alcohol consumed with water to rehydrate your mouth. You can also use oral hydration solutions to reduce the drying effect of alcohol.

7. Popcorn

That enjoyable popcorn snack you consume as you watch your favorite show can get stuck in your gum line. Also, the hardness of popcorn shells can crack or chip your teeth. Ensure you avoid popcorn kernels as you consume the snack, which are the primary culprits of tooth and gum damage.

Most of these foods can cause irreversible damage to oral health, which might require surgical intervention to reverse or control. Visit The San Diego Center for Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery for surgical interventions involving your teeth and gums.